The Broken Silence
by Chibi Chiriko
Summary: My take on the possibility of Ken/Aya-chan... possible spoilers for the conclusion of the WK anime storyline


DISCLAIMERS: Weiß Kreuz is copyrighted to Koyasu Takehito,  
Project Weiß, Kyoko Tsuchiya, Marine Entertainment and   
whatnots. This is a nonprofit work of fanfiction written  
entirely for online entertainment purposes only. No   
copyright infringement intended.   
  
Possible spoilers for the ending of the Weiß Kreuz anime.   
This fic is NON-YAOI, as it will be dealing mostly with   
Ken & Aya-chan. ^.^   
  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
  
THE BROKEN SILENCE  
by Chibi Chiriko  
  
____________________________________________________________  
  
  
  
When will tomorrow's smiles buffer the endless flow of  
Yesterday's tears, until they are no more?  
When will the warmth of the sun before us cleanse  
Away the viperous cold that gags us silent?  
When will the sweet refrain of the morning tide exorcise  
The ceaseless chants of accusations ringing in our  
Minds? Oh, that the soul be mended and the   
Silence broken!  
  
  
I feel myself smiling as I watch him on the field, his cleated  
shoes tracing intricate, muddy patterns on the fresh, moist   
green grass as he closely follows the flow of the game he is  
coaching. His eyes never leave the players-- and the ball--   
for one moment, his lips are closed tight over the silver  
whistle that constantly squeals as his hands gesture toward   
the goal. Sweat glistens on his tanned face like glinting   
jewels as he runs, and I note the measured rising and falling  
of his chest as he moves around the field. By watching, I  
can almost feel the energy thrilling his veins, coursing   
through his body like a serpents of life. I feel like I am  
right there, where the action is, my own heart racing with  
the harsh rhythm of the game, my body in constant, fluid   
motion as I dance to the tune of exertion. But I've never  
really been a sports person, and I would probably just ruin   
it, so I keep my silence and content myself by watching him  
play.   
  
The whistle drops from his mouth as the final goal of the game  
is scored, and he throws up his arms in a jubilant gesture,   
his whole face lighting up in a brilliant smile, brighter than the  
sun overhead. I chuckle as his pinecone-colored hair falls  
gently across his forehead, caressing his skin like brown   
feathers, and for just a wishful moment, I imagine it to be  
my hand. A purer warmth than that of the gentle sunlight at  
daybreak fills my soul as I see that flash of a boyish grin  
across his features, pearly white teeth glistening in the  
sunshine, rich brown eyes sparkling. How long has it been since  
I've seen such glorious, radiant happiness on anyone's face?   
I can't remember...   
  
I wrap my arms around myself as a cold breeze blows, and as  
I shiver slightly, I remember a time in the past when all I  
knew was happiness, pure and simple, innocent and naive. Things  
were so... *easy* then. It was a simple, peaceful world, where  
all I knew was school, home, and Ran-niichan. The only   
responsibilities I had then were my health and my homework,  
and to be a 'good girl', which I'm sure I always was. I was  
content, and I was happy, because that's what I saw all   
around me. Especially in the gentle, cheerful voice of my   
brother, Ran.   
  
Then everything changed. The still, placid lake cascaded down   
the bottom past the rocks, and rushed in icy torrents down  
the waterfall. Two years my life's been shrouded in dark   
unconsciousness, a deathlike slumber that stole my awareness  
and replaced it with bleak oblivion. And... when I finally  
awakened...   
  
"Aya!"  
  
... Everything changed...  
  
"Ne, Aya! Earth to Fujimiya Aya!"   
  
Startled, I can only jump back as a hand waves directly in front  
of my eyes. I blink as the hand is replaced by a pair of   
large, lovely dark eyes, and an earnest, concerned face.   
  
"Ken! I--"   
  
"Oh, come on, was that game really_*that*_boring? Maybe it wasn't  
the soccer finals in the Olympics, but the energy was really  
alive in there." He smiles at me, a sweet, friendly smile. "Or  
maybe soccer just doesn't float your boat, huh?" He laughs  
easily. "Maybe I shouldn't have invited you to the game, ne?"  
  
He deserves a better spectator than me. "I'm sorry," I whisper,  
blushing in embarrassment. "I liked the game, really, I did.   
I was just distracted..."   
  
"Naw, it's OK," he assures me, running his hand through his  
hair. He looks cute when he does that, and I feel my heart   
give an extra-loud thump in my chest. I will the fluttery   
feeling at the pit of my stomach to go away. "I'm just glad   
you came. I'll walk you home, if you want?"   
  
I do. I nod enthusiastically. I rise to my feet and fall into  
step beside him as we walk at a leisurely pace. He is suddenly  
quiet, but it doesn't bother me. I wonder if *my* silence  
bothers *him.* I am not usually quiet, Ran-niichan will  
tell you that. I am only quiet when I am disturbed about   
something. And I am, now.   
  
I wonder about my brother. I wonder where he is, what he does.  
My heart lurches as I remember the last time I saw him; crushed  
underneath a pile of rubble that was once our home, badly  
hurt, yet those haunted, plum-colored eyes were only staring  
helplessly at me, pleading me to run far away into safety's   
refuge. The last thing I heard from his lips was an utterance  
of my name, spoken in naked horror, voice rough with desperation  
and urgency. I remember having whirled around to see the lights  
that so clearly illumined his bruised face--only to be slammed  
into the comatose state I'd been in for the past two years.   
  
And when I'd finally awakened, it was to the face of two  
strangers. A tall, lovely woman I had never seen before... a  
sweet-voiced girl who wore her hair the way Ran-niichan liked  
me wearing mine... but both strangers. It had frightened me  
at first, and yet... and yet I'd felt the oddest sense  
of familiarity when my vision was finally washed clear, as  
though I had encountered them before. Maybe they had visited  
me in the hospital--maybe they knew Ran-niichan! I'd asked,  
I'd asked, twice over, over and over again, yet they told me  
they didn't know anything, and closed the discussion. But   
there is always the gesture of remorse as either Manx-san or  
Birman-san looked away to avoid my prying eyes, and I always   
catch regret and a questioning of her own in Sakura's eyes  
before her bangs hide her expression.   
  
And then I'd learned it was better not to ask, better not to know.  
Even though I will always wonder. Even though I will never stop  
asking why, in my heart. It will hurt, oh, yes, it will hurt   
not to know how my only family in the world fares as I go through  
the day beneath a convenient mask of zest and good cheer. It  
will hurt to wonder why he was not there when I awakened, why   
I can't be told of what has become of him. It will hurt, it   
hurts even now. But I've come to realize that if I keep nagging  
them with my insistent questions, I'm not the only one who's   
hurt. They, too, are affected by my questions, and I soon realized  
after much pressing that I've accomplished nothing but cause  
unnecessary pain and--speculation on my part--unpleasant memories.   
*Of Ran-niichan?* I don't know. It drives me crazy not to know,  
but I've learned that perhaps it's for the best to keep everything  
bottled inside. At least for the moment. For their sakes, as  
well as mine... and perhaps even for Ran-niichan's, wherever  
he may be. So I throw myself wholeheartedly into working at the  
Koneko no Sumu Ie. When my mind is occupied with work, and my  
hands with floral arrangments and pottery, I am too busy to   
contemplate these matters.   
  
I don't think he's dead. I don't *want* to think of the possibility  
that he might be dead. Somehow... somehow I've managed to cling to  
the hope that I'll still see him again. Maybe not now, but I  
will, eventually--sooner or later. (And I hope to God that it be  
sooner!) I just have to keep on hoping, believing. I ought not  
to think too much, only to know what's in my heart, and believe  
in it, no matter what.   
  
I nearly lose my balance in start when Ken speaks.   
  
"Are you always this quiet, Aya?" he asks, a slightly amused  
smile flitting across his face. "You don't strike me as the  
quiet type... and you were so cheerful and talkative when I  
first saw you at the flower shop. Is something wrong?"   
  
My cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I know I'm not good company;  
and Ken's too nice a guy to be hanging around with someone like  
me. He deserves better, and I wish to tell him this, but I don't  
know how. I don't think I even *want* to. It's selfish of me, but  
I don't want him to go and leave me alone, not like the way   
everybody I loved--love--did. I want him to stay, and ensure that  
I am not alone... even just this once... just now...   
  
"Iie." I shake my head, watching the way my braids swing from  
side to side as I do so. "Nothing's wrong, Hidaka-san--I'm just  
a little tired from work."   
  
He smiles, and I see understanding in his large, beautiful brown  
eyes. I suddenly feel the urge to holler at him, demanding what  
he could possibly understand. How could he possibly know what I've  
been through--he wasn't even there! How could he possibly  
understand how hard it was--*is*--on me? A strange stirring of  
anger flares up in my chest, and I have trouble breathing. I  
have the strangest feeling I'm about to cry, and I desperately  
try to fight it back.   
  
"You don't have to call me 'Hidaka-san.'" He is speaking again.   
"You called me 'Ken' a while ago, and it sounded fine. It   
sounded," --He blushes--, "good, actually." He quickly looks  
away, as though chastising himself, and I feel a smile quirk at  
the ends of my lips. He seems like one of the good guys. I only  
wish I had more to offer than just myself, and not even the best  
of myself at that.   
  
As silence settles again in a comfortable suspension above us,   
I think back to when I first met Ken. There were no customers  
in the shop--it was too early--and Sakura hadn't come in yet.   
Momoe-san was cleaning the place up, and I was just checking to  
make sure everything was in order. And then Ken came along,   
like a knight in shining armor (or rather, an athlete in a helmet  
and a cyclist's garb?) on his motorcyle, stray tendrils of  
chestnut flapping in the wind, body bent over the handlebars  
in such a way that he looked so strong and determined, an   
uninterruptable inertia that just caused my heart to skip a   
beat at the sight of it. And before I knew it, the chimes were  
tinkling prettily, and he was inside the shop, saying he just  
wanted to 'revisit the old times.' But I was well aware of his  
intense gaze on me all the time.   
  
So it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise when he asked  
me--with that gentle voice and charismatic smile--if I wanted  
to watch a soccer game he would manage.   
  
But it had, and I found no reason to say no, so I said yes.   
  
By and by, the familiarly comforting facade of the Koneko no Sumu  
Ie comes into view. Panic washes over me when I see a small crowd  
gathering over at the entrance, and I quicken my pace.   
  
I hurriedly turn to Ken, face flushed. "Um, Ken," I babble,   
embarrassment once again rising in my chest, "I'm really, really  
sorry, but I have to go attend to our customers... I had a   
really wonderful time, and thank you so much--soreja!"   
  
Without waiting for a response, I pivot sharply and nearly *fly*  
back to the shop, feeling my skirts flutter as I run. I don't  
know if he's still watching--I don't feel his eyes as I dive into  
the crowds and make my way toward the entrance. I feel the  
sweat break out on my forehead as I see the open, eager faces  
of the day's customers beaming at me through the window.   
Planting myself in front of the counter and convincing myself  
that I can handle this, I smile sweetly at them as their inquiries  
come pouring out.   
  
Over their heads, I see Sakura headed this way, and I sigh with  
relief. At least I know I won't have to deal with this alone.   
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sakura promptly sweatdropped at the sight of the crowd gathered  
in front of the Koneko no Sumu Ie, and quickened her pace,   
silently chastising herself for not having gotten up earlier.   
Smiling in anticipation of a mock lecture from young Aya, she  
clutched her handbag tighter as she started to squeeze her way  
through the maze of bodies, her polite 'excuse me's' drowned by  
the loud din of orders and requests and cheerful conversation.   
A bigger vein bulged on her forehead.   
  
And then she froze, purple eyes growing huge as they fell on a  
familiar figure across the sidewalk. Her breath caught in her  
throat, thoughts paralyzed into a single awareness of a   
young man she had not seen for what felt like centuries...   
  
"Ano... K-Ken-san!" she sputtered, staring at him in shock.   
  
It was as though the crowds, the noise, the heat of midmorning  
had faded into the backdrop, and all she was aware of was   
the overwhelming rush of emotions tumbling in a disarray within  
her, and the surprise and recognition that flashed in Hidaka  
Ken's almond eyes.   
  
A moment later, she had disentangled herself from the crowds,  
and found herself standing right before Ken. No words passed  
between them, although everything they wanted to say, all the  
questions her heart demanded, the answers he could not say   
out loud--all in the eyes. A tense silence hung like ivy above  
them, thickening to the point of being wired taut, and finally  
approaching the breaking point.   
  
"Sakura-chan," he said simply, and although his voice was carefully  
neutral, he could not hide the honesty of his emotions bared  
so shamelessly on his expression.   
  
"Ken-san." Her voice was barely above a whisper, tears she wasn't  
aware of filled her lovely pansy depths. "Why are you here? Where  
are the others?"   
  
Ken's face immediately took on a guarded expression, and he  
turned away from her and proceeded to leave. Sakura felt her  
heart slowly breaking at the cold gesture that was so unlike  
the Hidaka Ken she thought she knew. "Goodbye, Sakura." His  
voice was strangely hollow.   
  
Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sakura spoke tremulously, praying  
her soft voice didn't tremble so obviously. So many questions...  
*One at a time,* she reminded herself firmly. "Ken-san... Omi-san,  
Youji-san--" She swallowed painfully. "--and... and Aya-san--  
you've all been alive all this time?"   
  
Ken hesitated, but did not look back. Her heart tightened when  
she saw him stiffen, and shame swept over her as a betraying tear  
crawled down her cheek.   
  
"Yes." Nothing else in his voice but the truth of his answer.   
"That's all I can tell you. Now please, leave me alone. Let us  
go."   
  
Elation and disappointment flooded Sakura's heart as she watched  
Ken walk away, walk away from her, from *them*, forever. Elation   
at finally knowing for sure that her friends--*Especially Aya-san,*  
a voice in her head taunted mockingly--were alive and well;  
disappointment at not knowing where she could see them, *how*  
they were, and why her own questions could never be answered.   
Despite the wetness in her eyes, and the fact that she had just  
drunk a nice, warm glass of milk, her throat was suddenly dry.   
  
She lifted a slightly shaking hand to her cheek to brush away  
the tears, and managed an almost genuine smile on her lips as  
she quietly moved past the crowds and into the shop.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
As soon as I see Sakura, I heave a deep sigh of relief. I don't  
know why, but her presence has that effect on me--when I'm in  
my most intensely temperamental moods, seeing her levelheaded  
gaze settle on me, those wise purple eyes so like Ran-niichan's,  
calms me down, providing a momentary comfort. Just like the  
first time I saw her. Just like now.   
  
"Saaaaaaaaaakura!" I whine, in the pretense of a complaint, knowing  
that it shows so clearly in my eyes how happy I am to see her.   
"Mou, you're late again! Dooooush'te? Look at this *crowd!*"  
I pretend to pout.   
  
Sakura smiles faintly, and takes her place in front of the counter.  
"Gomen," she says quietly, and I immediately sense that something  
is wrong. "I was delayed."   
  
It's one of those masking excuses that conceal the *real* reason  
for her late arrival, but I know better than to ask why. And I  
hate myself for what I'm about to do, to leave her all by herself  
for a moment of selfish yearning.   
  
"Ne, Sakura-san," I say, a trifle nervous as she starts taking  
orders, "I just have to go... check something outside. I'll be  
back *real* soon, I promise!" And I give her a charming, convincing  
smile, hoping that being able to persuade her will convince  
myself.   
  
She looks up at me in surprise. "O-Okay," she says, and her  
eyes silently plead for an answer. I continue to smile, my gaze  
assuring her that I'll tell her all about it later.   
  
I hurry out the door, ignoring the sudden blast of searing white  
heat as the sunlight directly falls in my line of vision,   
momentarily blinding me. I blink as I push my way through the  
crowd, and as soon as I get my sight back, I look around in a   
frantic daze. I look around for Ken.   
  
My heart sinks when I find that he is nowhere to be seen. I can't  
repress the disappointment that swells up inside me as I see that  
he is gone. *Even nice guys have their limits.* Trying to ignore  
the sudden, overwhelming ache in my chest, and the sensation of  
being on the verge of tears for no reason, I turn around to head  
back inside.   
  
"Aya?"   
  
I'd know his voice anywhere.   
  
I turn around and feel a smile light up my face and flower in my  
heart when I see Ken standing right behind me, grinning somewhat  
shyly as he sees my delight. I am nearly weak with relief, and,  
giggling softly, I suddenly feel like my old self again.   
  
"I thought you'd left already," I tell him honestly. "Where've  
you been?"   
  
"Around," he says. He removes his hands from his back. "I got  
this for you."   
  
I gasp in shock as he holds out a pair of flowers tied loosely  
together by a pale pink ribbon, placing it in my hand. As I  
study the blossoms, trembling with surprised delight, I   
realize that they are my two favorite flowers: the green-petaled  
Gentian and the scarlet rose.   
  
"Ken," I breathe, loving the enchanting play of the intermingling  
fragrances in my nostrils. "How did you know these were my   
favorites?"   
  
He shrugs modestly. "Oh, it was just a lucky guess." He beams.   
"Do you like them?"   
  
"Love them," I assure him, smiling gently at him. "Ken... thank  
you. I'll never forget this."   
  
I think what I meant was that I would never forget *him.*   
  
He blushes, embarrassed but pleased. "Ahh, well..." He is at a   
loss for words, and I find it amusing, though I carefully hold  
back my laughter.   
  
I open my mouth to invite him inside, to at least stay for lunch,  
but he speaks before I can get a word out. "I'd better go," he  
says quickly, raking his fingers through those glossy chestnut  
bangs as he turns to leave. "Dewa, Aya."   
  
"M-Matte," I call out, before I even realize what I am doing.  
  
He turns around, eyebrows raised. I clutch the flowers to my  
heart as I hold out my hand. I can feel the morning glory shining  
in my eyes. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Hidaka Ken," I  
say softly.   
  
A quiet sigh floats out of his lips as he takes my hand, and   
shakes it. "The pleasure was mine, Fujimiya Aya." One quick,   
unforgettable, happy smile, and he is gone.   
  
And yet even as I stand alone in the street, my shadow the   
only one stretching behind me, I am not lonely. I can still  
feel the lingering warmth of the brush of his fingers against  
mine when he handed me the flowers, still hear the echo of  
his voice in my ears. If I concentrate hard enough, I can   
still see him standing in the spot where I first noticed  
him earlier that day.   
  
Suddenly, I think of Ran-niichan... and this time, knowing that  
he is not here with me doesn't at once fill me with bitterness.   
It is almost as though gazing at those softly unfurling crimson  
petals is like peering into his soul, and I can almost say for  
certain that he is all right.   
  
I am smiling as I walk back into the shop. My fingers never  
for once loosen over the flowers.   
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"How was it?"   
  
The question is asked quietly, any emotion that might have been  
revealed in those beautiful violet eyes hidden behind a fiery   
lock.   
  
"It was... it was fine." No need to mention how strangely he'd  
felt when he'd stepped away from his bike and stared at the place  
that had been more or less his home for the past two years of  
his new life. No need to mention how jarring it was to realize  
it was like he was a stranger in the place he'd devoted countless  
cheerful mornings to, a place in which he learned that happiness  
could be as simple as watching things grow into fruition under  
his care.   
  
Apparently, it is not the answer the other is expecting. Plum-  
colored eyes peek earnestly, almost pleadingly, into the rich  
brown orbs of luminescence. His low voice speaks once again.   
  
"How is... how is she?"   
  
Silence, save for the steady dripping of the loosely closed  
tap over the sink. A slight, gentle smile brightens the   
younger man's expression as the memory of those shining   
sapphirine depths and gorgeous, grateful smile flashes across  
his brain, the memory of a warm and silken touch burning   
into his palm. The sound of her sweet, heartfelt voice is  
still ringing in his ears.   
  
"She's--She's all right," he whispers. "She's great."   
  
Profound relief is wafted into the air out of those dry lips,  
the expression on the older man's face almost... happy. He   
closes his eyes as he heaves a deep sigh.   
  
"I'm glad."   
  
  
*** OWARI ***  
May 31st, 2000  
2:05 p.m.   
Tweaked: 2:35 p.m.   
  
  
Finally! *glares at the story and gives it a little kick* Geez,  
if only you knew how much trouble this little baby gave me...  
*shakes head* It would probably have a better effect if I'd  
been able to write it all in one sitting, which I wasn't   
able to do, thanks to a *certain* person, and I was supposed  
to leave it at a sort of 'hanging' ending, but the story  
wouldn't agree; I guess it wanted closure for once. _ End  
of summer attack, indeed.   
  
I probably *really* over-OOCed Aya-chan beyond the boundaries  
of creative license, and for that, I am SO SORRY! _   
(Believe me, what was supposed to be the original version   
of this fic was *way* more OOC; be glad I decided to write  
a new one instead.) And I guess I was sort of taking liberties  
with the plot (Plot? What plot?), 'cause even though I *have*  
seen the ending of the WK anime, I didn't understand whatever  
it was Sakura was telling Aya-chan when she awakened, so if  
there were some mistakes with regards to that, please let  
me know (and enlighten me on the facts, as well)! ^-^; I know  
I said I was sort of against Ran/Sakura, but I think I'm  
mellowing out, although I still say it's Aya x Ken, itsu  
made mo!   
  
Forward all comments, criticisms, revision suggestions,   
chocolates, death threats, love letters, Freesia, candy   
(bubble gum, anyone?), WK manga, WK DP albums and MKR tapes  
to this screamin' Zagato fan at chibichiriko@hotmail.com   
  
Take care, and God bless!  
  
~*~*~*~  
Chibi Chiriko  
shieikan@yahoo.com  
chibichiriko@hotmail.com  
swirlicue@homestead.com 


End file.
